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WASHINGTON – Dogs harbored by the New York Times at their secure compound in Baghdad aren’t such lovable creatures after all.

“It was a stunning, painful sneak attack that landed me in the emergency room of the US Army’s hospital in Baghdad’s Green Zone,” reports Eason Jordan, recalling his encounter with one of the Times’ canines.

The former CNN executive’s account, along with others revealed yesterday, cast a new light on the death of Hentish, the Times pooch that was killed by the private security firm Blackwater in an incident now being investigated by the State Department.

“The dog was considered an imminent threat, and was unfortunately dispatched with to protect life and limb,” a State Department spokeswoman said yesterday.

Neither the State Department nor the Times would say who initiated the investigation.

Eason’s encounter, revealed on his blog yesterday, involved a dog named Scratch and left him with “three deep gashes in my right hand, sending blood spewing in all directions.”

He also revealed other canine nightmares from behind the walls of the New York Times.

“Last month, a New York Times correspondent told me one of the bureau dogs bit an Iraqi in the crotch and attacked photojournalist Mike Kambers in the chest (if a dog bit me in the crotch, I might be inclined to euthanize it on the spot),” Eason blogged.